nick
08-04-2005, 09:59 PM
Translations in Timog Forum
Lost in the din of discussions in the forums is the original reason why we have Timog Forum in the first place: to have a place in the Internet, accessible by everyone with a PC, where people can give a hand to fellow Filipinos who need help figuring out papers, notices, bills and other documents written in Japanese. Please refer to this thread. (http://www.timog.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104 )
Submitting images for translation
Here is the procedure for posting images in Timog Forum for translation:
1. You need a way to make a digital copy of the paper for translation. For digitizing text in papers and other documents, the best tool is the scanner. (A nice second-hand scanner won’t cost you 5,000 yen.) For others, such as signs and similar objects, you will need a digital camera.
2. Scan the paper. When scanning, set the image type to “Text” or “OCR” or similar terms (depending on your scanner) and set the DPI (Dots per inch) to 200 to 300. (Alternatively, instead of setting the DPI, you can set the “Output size” of your image; for an A4 paper this should be smaller than 4000 x 4000 pixels). If you do this properly, then you will have a black & white image (like what you get from a copier machine), that is smaller than 4000 x 4000 pixels.
3. Assess the resulting image. If the image is colored (see the side note about colors below), or if it is more than 4000 x 4000 pixels, then you can either edit the image and make it black & white and reduce the image size or you can do another scan. Remember, you’d like the image to be as readable as possible (without going over the image and file size limitations); otherwise, no one would bother to read it.
(Side note about colors: for long text, black & white is ideal for two reasons: it makes the letters more readable and the file size smaller. However, for shorter text, you can also post images in color, like the one posted by makulit below. Just make sure the letters are legible. Please look at other translation requests on other threads to see samples.)
4. If the parts of the image need labeling, please do so, using numbers like ① ② ③, etc. (see makulit's attached image below). Save it as a GIF file. The resulting file shouldn’t be more than 300KB in size.
(Side note about file types: we recommend GIF files for text (especially for limited colored-images) because of the relatively small file sizes of these files. However, you can use other file types, such as JPG (especially for photos taken with a digital camera) and BMP if they don't go over the file size limit which is 300KB.)
5. Attach the image to your post by clicking on the “Manage Attachments” button below the editor box when you’re writing a message in the forums. When posting your message, provide as many details about the document, like where you got it, when, what do want to know, what you think it is, etc. It is also a good idea to let people know your Japanese ability, just so the translators will know what kind of person they're dealing with.
What to expect
1. There is no fee for posting translation requests (I get asked a lot about this); post your messages as usual. People will only respond to messages if they have the ability, the time and the inclination to do so. All of this is entirely voluntary.
2. Do not expect word for word translations. If you need word for word translations of legal documents and other important papers, it may be better for you to hire a professional translator. Some people will probably only tell you what is it about, if it's relatively unimportant.
3. People who may respond will not have any responsibility as to the accuracy of the translations. Some people will try to help, but please understand that errors are inevitable.
4. Remember that Japanese to English or Tagalog translations are easier than English or Tagalog to Japanese. Don’t be surprised if you get no responses for translations into Japanese.
5. Please submit only papers that you really need to have translated. If in doubt, try posting it; there’s probably no harm in trying. If you don't get replies, this is due to any of the following: no one saw your post or no one can do the translation (because of number 1 above) or no one thinks it's important enough.
Please see the attached sample image. It was scanned from an A4-sized paper at 200 DPI and saved as a GIF file (file size is around 145KB). Notice that this is a black & white image and the letters are clearly readable.
Lost in the din of discussions in the forums is the original reason why we have Timog Forum in the first place: to have a place in the Internet, accessible by everyone with a PC, where people can give a hand to fellow Filipinos who need help figuring out papers, notices, bills and other documents written in Japanese. Please refer to this thread. (http://www.timog.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104 )
Submitting images for translation
Here is the procedure for posting images in Timog Forum for translation:
1. You need a way to make a digital copy of the paper for translation. For digitizing text in papers and other documents, the best tool is the scanner. (A nice second-hand scanner won’t cost you 5,000 yen.) For others, such as signs and similar objects, you will need a digital camera.
2. Scan the paper. When scanning, set the image type to “Text” or “OCR” or similar terms (depending on your scanner) and set the DPI (Dots per inch) to 200 to 300. (Alternatively, instead of setting the DPI, you can set the “Output size” of your image; for an A4 paper this should be smaller than 4000 x 4000 pixels). If you do this properly, then you will have a black & white image (like what you get from a copier machine), that is smaller than 4000 x 4000 pixels.
3. Assess the resulting image. If the image is colored (see the side note about colors below), or if it is more than 4000 x 4000 pixels, then you can either edit the image and make it black & white and reduce the image size or you can do another scan. Remember, you’d like the image to be as readable as possible (without going over the image and file size limitations); otherwise, no one would bother to read it.
(Side note about colors: for long text, black & white is ideal for two reasons: it makes the letters more readable and the file size smaller. However, for shorter text, you can also post images in color, like the one posted by makulit below. Just make sure the letters are legible. Please look at other translation requests on other threads to see samples.)
4. If the parts of the image need labeling, please do so, using numbers like ① ② ③, etc. (see makulit's attached image below). Save it as a GIF file. The resulting file shouldn’t be more than 300KB in size.
(Side note about file types: we recommend GIF files for text (especially for limited colored-images) because of the relatively small file sizes of these files. However, you can use other file types, such as JPG (especially for photos taken with a digital camera) and BMP if they don't go over the file size limit which is 300KB.)
5. Attach the image to your post by clicking on the “Manage Attachments” button below the editor box when you’re writing a message in the forums. When posting your message, provide as many details about the document, like where you got it, when, what do want to know, what you think it is, etc. It is also a good idea to let people know your Japanese ability, just so the translators will know what kind of person they're dealing with.
What to expect
1. There is no fee for posting translation requests (I get asked a lot about this); post your messages as usual. People will only respond to messages if they have the ability, the time and the inclination to do so. All of this is entirely voluntary.
2. Do not expect word for word translations. If you need word for word translations of legal documents and other important papers, it may be better for you to hire a professional translator. Some people will probably only tell you what is it about, if it's relatively unimportant.
3. People who may respond will not have any responsibility as to the accuracy of the translations. Some people will try to help, but please understand that errors are inevitable.
4. Remember that Japanese to English or Tagalog translations are easier than English or Tagalog to Japanese. Don’t be surprised if you get no responses for translations into Japanese.
5. Please submit only papers that you really need to have translated. If in doubt, try posting it; there’s probably no harm in trying. If you don't get replies, this is due to any of the following: no one saw your post or no one can do the translation (because of number 1 above) or no one thinks it's important enough.
Please see the attached sample image. It was scanned from an A4-sized paper at 200 DPI and saved as a GIF file (file size is around 145KB). Notice that this is a black & white image and the letters are clearly readable.